Greens, Labour, NZH Hot Seat: coalitions

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, August 22nd, 2014 - 13 comments
Categories: david cunliffe, democratic participation, election 2014, greens, labour, Metiria Turei, newspapers, russel norman - Tags:

The NZ Herald has been doing some panel interviews with leaders of political parties.  These have got lost behind the extensive Dirty Politics fallout.  The videos of the Green and Labour Party leaders in the Hot Seat are each about 40-55 minutes long. From what I’ve seen so far, David Cunliffe, Metiria Turei and Russel Norman come across extremely well under questioning from Rachel Smalley, Audrey Young, Toby Manhire and Fran O’Sullivan.  Thank you NZ Herald for making these important panel interviews available.

left turn only

I’ve been too busy to watch the whole of each video. However, I now see the articles about each video have slipped of the front page of The NZ Herald, and are likely to be entirely forgotten.  They will make for some very good weekend watching.  The bits I’ve have seen so far, show the leaders ready to govern, and each putting a strong position from which to begin post-election negotiations to form a government.

The leaders put forward their pre-negotiation positions as being dependent on the numbers of votes each party gets in the election.  The proportion of votes will determine the strength of their negotiating positions.

The Greens in the Hot Seat, shows Turei and Norman expecting to have a strong role in a Labour-Green coalition.  They outline their credentials as being that of experienced MPs with well developed policies.

Turei Norman

 

They expect to have senior positions in a Labour-Green government. The article below the video states:

Russel Norman and Metiria Turei have been Green Party co-leaders for five years and after the September 20 election they could possibly be co-deputy Prime Ministers.

The article also lists the topics discussed, and where to find them in the interview:

42s The Norman-Turei partnership

1m 27s Readiness for Government

2m 34s Learning from watching other small parties

3m 49s Disappointment with Labour

5m 16s What the Greens would bring to cabinet

7m 34s Prospects of being shut out again by Peters

8m 30s Welcoming Xi Jinping to New Zealand

9m 30s Exemptions from collective cabinet responsibility

11m 7s The Blue Green option

14m 15s The threat of Kim Dotcom

15m 23s Attitude to intelligence agencies

17m 56s Climate change

20m 35s Swim-mable rivers in cities and the countryside

21m 56s Dairying intensification

23m 19s Adding value to dairy and diversifying

25m 57s Genetic modification

28m 13s Economic development with natural resources

32m 04s Renewable energy

33m 02s Foreign investment

34m 06s Gaining the confidence of business

35m 12s Social policy priorities

36m 17s Child poverty

38m 28s Raising benefits

39m 06s Whanau Ora

40m 28s Admiration of the Greens by Jamie Whyte

41m 34s Reason to vote Greens

While the panel was posted online early on 20 August, the panel interview was conducted on 5 August.

Turei and Norman look to be trying to put themselves in a strong position before negotiations start. This is the smart thing to do.  They also project well founded confidence in their team, policies, values and track record.

The panel with David Cunliffe in the hot seat was posted late on 20 August.  The beginning section has Cunliffe talking about potential post-election coalition negotiations.   Cunliffe is clearly being smart, and strategic.  He also comes across as confident and his views well thought out and pragmatic.

David Cunliffe

Cunliffe counters the Greens assertiveness with a strategy that has some similarities with that of John Key’s cross-party alliances.  Cunliffe talks about having both the Greens and NZ First as potential coalition/alliance partners, in order to create a stable and balanced government.  He is thus providing his party with a strong bargaining position with both parties.

Cunliffe acknowledges that Winston Peters is playing his cards close to his chest, and won’t say before the election, whether NZ First will support Labour or National.

Cunliffe explains why he wouldn’t have Internet-Mana MPs in his cabinet, but would have them as a support partner/s in an alliance that helps them to govern. He says that IMP is too new an alliance to have a track record.  He argues that voters prefer parties governing that have a strong track record in the House. He is also not keen on the way IMP has been “bank-rolled” by a wealthy entrepreneur.

However, Cunliffe, Norman and Turei all seem confident, that, should the votes make it possible, the Greens and NZ First will be able to both work in a Labour led government.  They point to things they have already worked together on, such as the inquiry into the manufacturing crisis.

I hope to look at the whole of these videos over the next couple of days.  I am particularly interested in hearing what they have to say on policies: especially on policies to do with housing, poverty/inequality, environment, employment and jobs, social security and other areas of social policy.

A party’s track record is certainly an important consideration for me in deciding my party vote.  That is why I will be party voting Green this election.

However, I can see that other voters are coming to a different conclusion. Some have clearly decided the longer standing parties have nothing to offer. Or maybe some see the track records of Labour and the Greens as falling short of left wing ideals and aims.  Consequently, for some, the more recently formed parties offer new hope of a strong left government.

I am very pleased to see all the opposition parties and their leaders campaigning strongly and confidently.  We can disagree on which of the opposition parties will be most necessary to strong left wing government.

But, together we and the parties can bring about a necessary change of government.  The tone of the leaders when talking about other opposition parties is positive and respectful. We can do that, too, even when we disagree. It shows we can work together.

Vote Left.

Keep calm vote left

 

13 comments on “Greens, Labour, NZH Hot Seat: coalitions ”

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  1. Enough is Enough 1
    22 August 2014 at 10:06 am

    With the election of a left wing government now a certainty, we need to begin seeing these two teams working together and showing us precisely what our new government will look like.

    While the National Party civil war erupst out on the right flank (which will probably have the effect of breathing some life back in to ACT) the left should begin planning how to rebuild this broken country.

    • adam 1.1
      22 August 2014 at 10:37 am

      I disagree about a.c.t Enough is Enough. I think National have not had the fracturing that labour had with the advent of MMP. I think the National party is going to have that fight now. Or some time soon.

      a.c.t was a collection of Labour and National loony fringe, not strictly a division of right wing forces. The time is coming, indeed talking to some traditional conservatives, they are bitterly disappointed with Key and company.

      I think the factions within National are going to look at the actions of Lusk and Co in a very dim light. This is one of the other issues this book highlights, the fact that the national party faithful are having their own noses rubbed in it by a radical wing of political professionals – who seem to be taking their party off them.

  2. Sable 2
    22 August 2014 at 10:27 am

    Or maybe the Greens leaders could be PM and old Cunliffe could be out the back washing to dishes and making a few cuppas….

  3. Alistair Connor 3
    22 August 2014 at 10:34 am

    The important thing is to get a Labour/Green majority and shut out NZFirst.
    Internet/Mana will then be influential. If Winsome is in coalition, he will block anything from IMP.

    • Enough is Enough 3.1
      22 August 2014 at 10:39 am

      Yeah a G/L majority is essential. Winston must be locked out.

      A 20 person cabinet with 12 Labour and 8 Green would be a good mix.

      This is really exciting now that the Nats are buried and we can focus on the positive

      • Colonial Viper 3.1.1
        23 August 2014 at 6:40 pm

        The Labour caucus would have a melt down at those numbers. Won’t fly. 15:5 maybe.

    • adam 3.2
      22 August 2014 at 10:40 am

      On social policy I think NZFirst and IMP will butt heads. But, on economic issues, I think they will co-operate.

      Here the leadership of the Greens will be important, and I think they can do it.

  4. ianmac 4
    22 August 2014 at 1:54 pm

    John Key (remember him?) had his up today recorded before the Book was published. I thought he was vague and wishy washy and punctuated with many ums and ahs. The Greens and Labour dig mighty job but Key even then must be of concern because he only reaaly knew about money and investment.

  5. disturbed 5
    22 August 2014 at 5:58 pm

    When is that lying carpetbagger FJK going to do the right thing for this country and resign!!!! aaaah

    Leave left centre coalition to fix his f—-ups.

  6. Reddelusion 6
    22 August 2014 at 10:12 pm

    Disturbed, take your pills

  7. Lorraine 7
    23 August 2014 at 1:31 pm

    EXCELLENT IDEA – Labour changing secondary tax system. Would make it more economic for beneficiaries and low income earners to get part time work. At the moment people who are in this situation can almost be going backwards because of paying secondary tax and when they take in the cost of going to work even by bus or train it can be uneconomical for them as they would end up with so little out of their earnings if it is just $100/per week as beneficiaries are allowed to earn before their benefits are cut back. Would make the transition to work far more viable.

    One of the other things that makes working part time hard is that a person may want to find work for 10 hours per week but most contracts allow an employer to demand that the person works as many hours as they want when they want it. It makes it very hard for people who for what ever reason can only work for say 10 hours/week. They don’t get the job. If they do take the job they may get 10 hours one week, 20 hours the next and none the next. It is set up so part time workers have no certainty of times when they will be working or a fixed amount that they can expect to get.

    I think changes like these would make it a lot more viable for unemployed people to get off benefits and to gain experience that may lead to full time work. Also students would benefit also.

  8. Guesting 8
    23 August 2014 at 4:56 pm

    Ditching secondary tax – I’m totally with that. Currently I could further my career by taking a part-time job with more responsibility and less pay (but with full-time job expenses like transportation, outsourcing child care) or stay in a full-time job and not improve my career. Without a secondary tax, perhaps I could do 2 part-time jobs and keep full-time pay.

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